The Sprout

Light show at West Oxford Light Festival

The Newsletter for North Hinksey & Botley

Issue 183 December 2023

The Sprout

The Newsletter for North Hinksey & Botley

Directo rs: Jan et Bartlam, Judi Bo lder, John Clement s,

Michae l Cockman, Louise Kunz eman n, Ag Ma cKeith

Editor

Ag MacKeith

South View House, Old Botley, OX2 0JR Tel: 724452 Editor@TheSprout.org.uk

Advertising Manager

Michael Cockman

50, St Paul's Crescent OX2 9AG Tel: 07766 317691 Adverts@TheSprout.org.uk

Deliveries

Jan Shirley and Isabelle Hayes

9, Sweetmans Road OX2 9BA 07706 606719 Deliveries@TheSprout.org.uk

Copy Date: Copy by 15th of month preceding publication. Earlier submission is

welcome. Later contributions may have to be held over to the next issue.

Advertisements: If you have print-ready advertisements in the correct format the last

day for booking advertising is the 10th of the month preceding publication; in all other

circumstances more advance notice will be needed. For exact sizes, quality requirements,

advice on text and help with production, please contact the Advertising Manager.

Advertising rates:

Full page: 1 issue £112; 3 issues £270; 5 issues £392; 10 issues £728

½ page: 1 issue £56; 3 issues £135; 5 issues £196; 10 issues; £364

¼ page: 1 issue £28; 3 issues £67.50; 5 issues £98; 10 issues; £182

1/8 page: 1 issue £14; 3 issues £33.75; 5 issues £49; 10 issues; £91

Subscriptions: If you live outside North Hinksey Parish you can still receive The Sprout

on a regular basis. Just take out a postal subscription – only £12 per annum, delivered to

your door. Contact: Janet Bartlam: 01865 453111.

Now also available online at https://archive.thesprout.org.uk/

Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of information printed in this newsletter,

mistakes may happen. The Editor and Team apologize unreservedly for any errors that

may occur and will do their best to correct them. This publication is not a vehicle of the

parish council, and parish councillors working with the Sprout do so in a personal capacity.

Opinions expressed are the opinions of the individual contributors.

All concerned in the production and delivery of The Sprout are unpaid volunteers.

The Sprout is printed by The Holywell Press, and published by

North Hinksey Parish Publications Ltd, (a company limited by

guarantee) Registration No. 05609535.

The Sprout

Issue 183, December 2023

Contents

3 Introducing Jack Webb

7 February Guest Edition

11 Christmas Hampers

13 Thermal Imaging

15 Beaumont Elms Report

17 Simon Mason

21 Service of Remembrance

23 Planning Apps

25 Making Connections

27 Muriel Stevens

29 Friends of Raleigh Park

33 Kennington Memory Club

34 Brownies Learn a Lot

36 Randoms

38 General Organisations

From the Editor

Welcome to the last Sprout for 2023. In it there are the usual shout-outs

for help from every quarter (pp 9, 11, 29 and 36) and some heartfelt

thanks for volunteer input (p 21). Voluntary help is a precious thing,

and this is recognized by the parish council’s ‘All in One Room’ party

on December 10th for anyone in the community who is an active

volunteer (pp 2 and 36). It will be at the Women’s Institute in North

Hinksey Lane. Last year around a hundred came – will there be even

more this year? Volunteers, you know who you are! Get in touch and

claim your ticket! Then there’s a tribute to a long-term resident of

Poplar Road (p27), an interview with a local author (p 17) and a review

of last month’s work across the Beaumont Elms Practice (p15). Finally,

we are excited to announce a bold new initiative – Jack Webb, a young

journalist recently returned to Botley, will be guest editor for the

February Sprout, which will give a voice to Botley’s young people. You

can meet him on page 3 and read about his plans on page 7. Are you

one of Botley’s nearly 3,000 school students? This is your chance to

share your ideas with the rest of us, don’t hold back! And, until then, A

Happy Christmas to all our readers! The team is looking forward to a

festive break, but your favourite mag will be back on your mat in

February. Ag MacKeith

Introducing Jack Webb

Hello! My name is Jack Webb and I am

privileged to be chosen as The Sprout’s guest

editor for the February issue next year. I

thought you might like to know a bit more

about me.

I recently moved back to Botley after living as

a student in Bournemouth for four years, so I

think we can all agree that I have lived an

incredibly experienced and cultured life!

Perhaps I should also mention that for every

long period of time spent in the coastal town,

I often longed to be back in Botley, and would

return to visit regularly. I think it’s because, for

me, there has always been something very

interesting about this place, for somewhere so small, and every time I

came back, I would usually find something intriguing had taken place.

For me, this is what The Sprout is all about. Showing everybody what

Botley has to offer.

In terms of my own journey, I became interested in writing at a young

age, because I enjoyed being able to express myself creatively, on my

own terms. At school I found maths, for instance to be incredibly boring

and restrictive, but anything that was related to writing immediately

excited me. There were no rules there. I could do whatever I wanted.

Come to think of it, that’s still how I like to live my life now.

From the minute I realised I was only semi-bad at writing, compared to

being totally useless at literally everything else, I decided to try and make

a career as a football journalist. Since I was, and still am, mad about

football, it made sense to me to combine my two passions. It really helped

that I cannot kick a ball to save my life, and therefore my opportunities

within the sport have been extremely limited!

So far, I have begun to turn this ambition into somewhat of a reality. When

I am not finding stories in Botley, I am managing the social media

accounts for the sixth-tier outfit, Weymouth Football Club, and

interviewing the players and manager on a weekly basis. Right now, the

club isn’t quite where they would like to be, regarding results. However,

they do have a manager and chairman who are fully committed to making

the team as successful as possible, both in terms of accolades and

finance.

This has been a fantastic opportunity in allowing me to understand how

a football fan thinks. For those who already follow football, it will come as

no surprise to hear that a large chunk of supporters can get rather

impatient quite quickly! As a season ticket holder at Arsenal myself (the

best team in the world, I will not be hearing otherwise), I know all too well

what football fans can be like.

But, it’s fascinating. In a strange way. I love to make their voices heard. I

also think they are a reflection of how people behave as a whole. People

have a lot to say and they are very happy to say it.

Ultimately, what I hope to bring to The Sprout is the voice of the youth.

For me, it’s an overriding problem that the voices of young people today

are not listened to enough, and are sometimes even ignored or ridiculed.

I want The Sprout to not only show them that their opinions are heard,

but also encourage them to express themselves.

Jack Webb

February 2024, Guest Edition

Hello, everyone!

Jack Webb again, and I am here to tell you about my plans as Guest

Editor for the February 2024 issue of The Sprout. The idea is to bring a

new emphasis on youth into the magazine, and I have been tasked with

this, based on my age and supposed knowledge and connections among

the younger people of Botley!

So here we go! Below are a list of themes and agendas that I am hoping

to introduce into February’s issue:

What do the youth think of Botley? This is technically an ongoing

theme, as it has been discussed for a while, and was advertised in the

November issue. We asked THREE questions (What annoys you about

Botley? What do you like the most about Matthew Arnold School? What

is missing from the new shopping precinct?), and people could answer

ONE. Their entry would go in the magazine, and the BEST answer would

get a £10 reward. This hasn’t been totally successful yet, and so we have

widened it out to be 250+ words along the lines of the above (what makes

you happy about Botley, what you hate about MAS, etc, anonymity

granted on request). I am hoping from now we can start to get at least a

few answers; I will start pushing my sister and her friends for ideas!

What changes do the youth of Botley want to see in 2024? Over the

next month I am hoping that young people will get back and share their

ideas. I really want to hear what you think! For this question, I will leave

it as broad as possible in the hope of receiving many different types of

answers. The BEST answer on

here (as decided by myself as

the editor) will receive a £20

reward.

Skatepark. As the skatepark

now has planning permission, I

would like us to do a big piece

on the campaign and building

of the park. Ideally, it would be

great to speak to campaigners

AND the general public, and find out what it is that makes the skate park

such a great idea (or otherwise, if that’s your view).

Things you don’t want to miss out on in 2024 – I intend for this to be

a promotion of as many different things in Botley/West Oxford as

possible, ranging from local shops & businesses to upcoming events.

The importance of protesting – Recently, there have been a lot of

protests in Oxford around the ongoing situation in Palestine. Whilst I

wouldn’t aim to use The Sprout as a way of projecting my own views, I

would like to dedicate a page to Botley people explaining why it’s

important to become active and involved in public protests like these.

To get the ball rolling, I will be interviewing my friend who is a North

Hinksey resident and archaeologist. I am also sure that, as always, there

will be plenty of other brilliant ideas, so please do send anything my way

that you feel is worth including! You can text me on 07519 822002 if you

want to discuss anything, and submit your masterpiece to

editor@thesprout.org.uk

**DEADLINE IS 14TH JANUARY 2024 ** so please get your articles

to me before then!

Looking forward to it very much! Jack Webb

Christmas Hampers

Botley Bridges and local food charities are again

working together to spread some Christmas

cheer to local families on low incomes in Cumnor,

Botley and West Oxford. Last year we distributed

over 100 hampers, brimming with a variety of food

and gifts, all donated, packed and delivered by

local volunteers. With the continuing pressure on

family incomes and rising prices many families

find Christmas a difficult time. We are looking to

our local community to spread some Christmas cheer.

Can you donate any of these: Tea/ Coffee/ Hot Chocolate/ Squash/ Soft

Drinks (no alcohol please); Fresh fruit or veg ; Christmas treats; Jam/

Marmalade/ Honey/ Syrups; Tins or Jars – Fruit/ Tuna/ Baked Beans/

Pasta Sauces/ Soup; Bread/ Crackers/ Oats/ Breakfast Cereals/ Rice/

Pasta

We are also hoping to include some small (stocking filler) gifts in the

hampers. Can you donate? (Please leave these unwrapped so we can

best match them to the recipients.)

For Adults: Toiletries/ Warm Socks/ Blankets/ Hot Water Bottles

For Children: Bubbles/ activity books/ small craft sets/ small construction

sets; Books (for a variety of ages); Cards/ Cards Games; Toiletries

Donations can be dropped off at St Peter and St Pauls Church Hall,

Botley on Tuesday 19th 1-8pm or Wednesday 20th December 8-11am.

There will also be collection points at Cumnor School, Botley School,

West Oxford School and at any Botley Bridges session during the week

of 11–18th December. If you cannot drop off at these times, email me at

sue@botleybridges.org to arrange an alternative venue and time. Use

the same email if you would like to volunteer to take in deliveries, pack

hampers or deliver, or phone me on 07769 275084.

If you would like to make a financial contribution to the hampers, please

email treasurer@botleybridges.org for details of how to do this.

Adults in a household on a low income can request a hamper in one of

three ways:

1.You can scan the QR code on the left or find the

form online at https://botley-hampers.web.app

2.Or you can download a form from the Botley

Bridges website and email it to

sue@botleybridges.org

3 Or you can ask your school for a hard copy and

hand it in to them. Sue Dowe

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thermal Imaging

18th December to 2nd January

One of the fun things about winter is that we can do some thermal imaging

and see in technicolour where the heat is leaking from our homes.

Sustainable Botley will have an infrared camera over the festive period

and we can offer you a free thermal imaging visit. Normally it takes 30

minutes to an hour to walk around your home with you, inside and out, so

that you can see things like gaps in loft and wall insulation, cold spots that

might cause mould to form, and leaky spots where draughts are getting

in around doors and windows. Visits will be during daylight, and

preferably at times when the outdoor temperature is below 8°C. Just get

in touch with me at laurie@livingwitness.org.uk to arrange your free visit.

We can also do a more substantial energy survey, for which we’d ask for

a donation to Sustainable Botley to help cover training and accreditation

costs. Laurie Michaelis, Sustainable Botley

At the time of writing October has been a busy month for Beaumont Elms

Practice. Across the two sites during the month GPs saw 2,098 patients,

spoke to 654 patients on the phone as planned appointments, and made

1,842 on the day calls. Nurses saw another 1,298 patients and our

Pharmacists and Physicians Associate saw or called 607 patients

between them. Around one third of all of these contacts were with

patients who transferred from Botley. 1,373 covid vaccines were given

and 1,615 flu jabs. And of course, the busiest section of the practice,

reception staff, answered 9,952 calls in October, callers waiting only 3

mins and 28 seconds for the phone to be answered on average.

The purpose of this detail isn’t to blow our own trumpet but to provide

some context for when you next have a dealing with the surgery and to

say what a pleasure it has been to see and speak to you all!

We are aware some people thought the practice was no longer open –

as you can see from the above this is definitely not the case, and we are

very much open to our registered patients. The phone number is 01865

240501 and the website is www.19beaumontstreet.com

The NHS App is now available for all patients and can be used to request

repeat prescriptions, check results and book covid and flu appointments.

Some patients may be able to connect/reconnect without intervention

from the practice, but if you need help please come to reception with

photographic ID.

We are gaining a much clearer picture of the needs of the patients in the

Botley area and are aware that many patients are due reviews for long

term conditions. We are planning our clinical provision accordingly, so

please rest assured that we will contact you to arrange these reviews.

Looking forwards, Christmas is just around the corner. The practice will

be closed on bank holidays, but open as normal otherwise over the

Christmas period. We also look forward to welcoming new GPs in

January, when we will also begin to allocate GPs to patients transferred

from Botley. And our third Pharmacist joined the team at the beginning

of November.

Thank you for welcoming us into the Botley community and we look

forward to meeting more of you over the coming months.

There Is No Escape –

Profile of Simon Mason, Oxford Author

Sometimes daydreaming can produce great

results. Simon Mason, one of Oxford's star

authors, is living proof. He was chosen by the

Botley Library Staff to be the subject last month

of one of their occasional literary Q&A events.

An only child, he spent much of his early years

daydreaming, which he views as a direct link to

his eventual success as a writer. In his own

words, ‘I think of writing as daydreaming; a

transfer of words.’

Born in Sheffield and educated at a

comprehensive school there, Simon made the leap to studying English

Literature at Lady Margaret Hall here in Oxford, where, at first, finding

nothing in common with or comfortable in university society, he spent his

time reading in the Library (open 24/7) ...undoubtedly laying down the

foundation for his future career.

With characteristic self-deprecation, he admits that after graduating, he

settled in Oxford because editing at Oxford University Press was the only

job offer he got. Later, he worked in publishing in London, writing most of

his books – including one entirely – standing on the commuter train. As

he says, ‘It was an absolute nightmare – it used to take two or three hours

some days. Once I locked myself in the toilet just to be able to sit down

and write.’

Following several adult novels written in the 1990s, Simon turned to his

young family for inspiration. Indeed, his writing developed and grew in

tandem with his children's progress over the years. When his two children

were small, he wrote books about and for young children, including the

popular Quigley Family series. But he's quick to counter any direct

resemblance: ‘Because the Quigleys were so closely associated with us,

I got a bit fed up when reviewers kept describing them as hapless parents

or a dysfunctional family. The Quigley books have received much critical

acclaim, including being nominated for the Branford Boase Award in

2003. Later, Moon Pie (2011), a singular and perceptive book featuring

an 11-year-old parental child with an alcoholic widowed father, was

shortlisted for the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize in 2015.

Once his children were teenagers, he turned to Young Adult fiction,

notably the Garvie Smith series (2015-19). Simon has a soft spot for his

creation Garvie: ‘The world hasn't done anything for him, why should he

do anything for the world? Fair enough. Such boys are very well

represented in life but less so in literature. I wanted to put him in a book.’

From the Garvie Smith series (categorised as YA

Crime), Simon advanced to the full Monty, in the

form of Oxford-based detectives Ryan and Ray

Wilkins: no relation, and less chemistry. This

interviewer could not put down either A Killing in

November (2022) or The Broken Afternoon

(2023) and is waiting impatiently for Lost and

Never Found, to appear in January 2024. The

storylines are great, but it's the marvellously

depicted mix of caustic repartee and instinctive -

- but resisted and resented -– symbiosis which

enlivens the Wilkins' books with unique delight.

Although we will have to wait until January 2025

for the 4th in that

series (sob), there

is hope; Simon has created a different crime

series, one based on missing persons:

Finder, to be launched in September 2024.

My name is down for that one already!

In 2019, an interviewer asked him, ‘What's

your favourite escape from writing?’ His

reply was: ‘There is no escape.’ How

fortunate we are to have Simon Mason in

captivity! Ruth Cameron

Remembrance Day Service

As many of you well

know, Botley &

North Hinksey

Parish Council

annually organize a

Service of

Remembrance at

the Commonwealth

War Graves in

Botley Cemetery.

This year was no exception. Rain was forecast, but it held off for the

eleventh hour and was never heavy.

The service was well-attended, with representatives from the Lord

Lieutenant, the different levels of local government and local community

groups as well as Commonwealth forces, past and present, and the

Embassies of foreign soldiers buried in the cemetery. The 4th Regiment

Royal Logistic Corps provided a magnificent Guard of Honour around the

Stone of Remembrance and also organised an impressive parade, which

include the 15th Oxford Scouts,

3rd West Oxford Guides and the

Botley Detachment Army Cadets,

who all marched in formation up

from the Minns car park, through

the cemetery gates and into their

positions. It was lovely to see. A

Muslim cleric presided alongside

the usual Christian and Jewish

Clergy, and joined them in

delivering an interfaith Order of

Service that reminded us that

after times of war, we all

remember together.

After the two-minute silence, local

historian, Malcolm Graham, gave

a brief account of the history of the

site, mentioning local men buried,

not just in this cemetery, but also

in Osney Cemetery near the

railway station, where of the 16 men buried there, the youngest was just

16, the oldest 53. After this, the various groups laid wreaths to remember

the fallen who fought for our today.

It must be recognised that this was a collaborative event, with many

people playing a part in bringing the whole thing together. The Parish

Council would particularly like to thank Reverend Richard Budgen, the

4th Regiment of the Royal Logistic Core, Radio Cherwell, Matthew Arnold

School, St. John’s Ambulance, the Oxfordshire Youth Brass Ensemble,

various Parish Councillors, Oxford City Council, the Commonwealth War

Graves Commission and Kevin Minns for their contributions in both the

run up and on the day. We would also like to thank the wonderful

Women’s Institute for the refreshments.

Another thank-you must not be forgotten. On the 11th hour of the 11th

day Julie Goldsmith of the City of Oxford Silver Band marked the moment

by playing the Last Post and Reveille to bookend the two minutes silence

organised by the Parish Council on Church Way, Botley. Locals came

specifically for the moment, to listen and to reflect.

Our thanks go out to all of these people and organisations and also to the

many attendees who made the two events so special.

Adam Rankin (Remembrance Day Cttee) and Emma Gordon (Clerk)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LOCAL PLANNING APPLICATIONS

P23/V2303/LDP

2 Hurst Rise Rd. 1-storey side and

rear extension. Two new roof

windows to west facing roof slope.

New flat rooflight to existing flat

roof.

13 October

Target

Decision Date:

8 December

P23/V2328/T56

Oxford RFC North Hinksey Lane.

New radio mast.

13 October

TDD: 7 Dec

P23/V2390/HH

23 Crabtree Rd. 1-storey rear

extension to form open plan

kitchen/dining & garage.

24 October

TDD: 19 Dec

P23/V2347/LDP

48 Yarnells Hill. Loft conversion,

hip-to-gable raise & rear facing

dormer with juliet balcony.

30 October

TDD: 25 Dec

P23/V2450/HH

11 Chestnut Rd. Remove existing

rear extension. Build 1-storey rear

extension + extra parking.

31 October

TDD: 26 Dec

Making Connections

Following lots of feedback from local people that Facebook is best for

sharing news and community info, Network Rail have got in touch to say

that you can now find the latest on Botley Road traffic on Facebook at

Oxfordshire Connect. To be fair, they put effort into making it a lively

place to visit, and they do bring in all the players involved in the obstacle

course otherwise known as ‘getting in and out of Botley’. (The same is

true of their weekly e-mail newsletter which anyone can sign up to

receive: https://lineside.networkrail.co.uk/oxfordshireconnect.)

For instance, they reported on the West Oxford Light Festival on 19th

November like this: ‘This fantastic lantern, which was created by the local

community, is the first of many new train services that you can expect to

see on the western side of the station once the new platform is built next

year. With so much time and effort put into creating 'Wocamotion',

organisers now want to find a permanent home for it, so please get in

touch with any suggestions.’

The playing fields were flooded, so the festival took place in and around

the community centre, and Osney Island. The lantern parade,

energetically led by Oxford Samba Band, stopped the traffic on the Botley

Road and wound its way back around the school and up West Street. The

splendid WOCAmotive, pictured above, was manoeuvred with some

difficulty along the narrow path beside the school, but got home without

mishap, and is now looking for a permanent railway shed. Hundreds

came, many with their home-made lanterns, and were entertained,

indoors and outside, by the fantastic women of Aerial Emporium, who

demonstrated daring feats of skill and balance, on ropes and with fire poi

and flaming hula hoops. More on them in a future issue.

Ag MacKeith

In Memory of Muriel Evelyn Stevens (1928 – 2023)

Muriel lived in Poplar Road, Botley for

50 years, initially with her husband

Roy and latterly on her own, following

Roy’s death.

Muriel was born and brought up in

Oxford, spending her early years in

Cowley. She was proud of her father‘s

prowess as goalkeeper of Headington

United football team in the 1930s (now

Oxford United) and often told tales of

his skill and abilities. Muriel spent brief

periods in her youth in the WAAF and

later working in London, but always

returned to Oxford.

Muriel spent more than half her lifetime living in Poplar Road, where she

was always part of the Poplar Road social events and her mischievous

sense of humour was well known. She talked with fondness about

ballroom dancing, which she and Roy had enjoyed all over Oxford in

earlier years. Hers was a familiar face in Botley. She was a regular visitor

to Elms Parade shops, attended social events with residents in Seacourt

Road, and could often be found at lunchtime Bingo sessions at the

Seacourt Bridge pub. For many years Muriel was also an avid member of

the Gladiators Club in East Oxford, where she had many friends. Muriel

was widely known as the ‘Queen’ in her social circles – an image she

enjoyed and played up to.

Muriel moved to Headington Care Home in February 2021, and always

told visitors and the Care Staff about the house in Poplar Road which was

her adored home. Rest In Peace, Muriel. Ruth Ashwell

The Year in Raleigh Park

The Friends of Raleigh Park held their 12th AGM this month, to review

the year’s activities, highs and lows. We marked the sad passing of our

founder member Carol Kramer, a stalwart of early work parties, a fount of

wisdom on flora, cattle and horses, and an uncompromising contributor

to discussions of policy and principle. We will remember her as we pass

her memorial tree in the Park (currently a birch, soon to metamorphose

into an elm). We rejoiced in the success of our opposition to the

development of land adjoining the Raleigh Park fen, and in particular its

demonstration that community groups and ecological experts working

together can be listened to and respected by Planning Committees.

Some of our regular activities have continued, if at a less intense level.

Work parties organised by Adam Bows were active until the Summer,

and took part in a major project funded by the City Council to stabilise

one of the most notoriously muddy slopes down to the pond. The pond

and the main fen have gone from

strength to strength under the

custodianship of the Freshwater

Habitats Trust, who have

announced further funding for fen

protection works in 2023/24, as well

as commissioning a survey of

biodiversity showing that the

management of the fen has

significantly increased the presence

of fen flora including rare species,

since 2017. We were delighted to

support the third year of the Oxford

Badger Group’s vaccination

programme, conducted in the Park

and neighbouring land owned by the

City Council. A trusty group of

volunteers has replenished supplies

of bird food at the feeding station,

established and maintained by Clive

Smith. Full reports on all these will be

found on the Friends of Raleigh Park

website www.raleighpark.org.uk.

Other activities have been lost or reduced in the face of dwindling

participation by members. The regular butterfly walks have been in

abeyance for two years. Our birdbox expert Clive Smith has been unable

to carry out his observations of nesting patterns in addition to maintaining

the boxes, which will soon be relocated to make them more accessible.

The Boxing Day Walk will be revived this year, after two blank years. The

Friends’ Committee is in need of renewal, as its officers have been

unchanged since 2017, and it is now reduced to a bare minimum of three

members, two of advancing age. While we have a large number of

supporters, we do urgently need more active members to coordinate

activities, to represent the Friends at community days, to organise

meetings and outdoor events, and to gain the experience to allow them

to take over the main committee roles when the current officers take a

well-earned rest. We would dearly like to recruit a butterfly walks

coordinator, an events coordinator, a fundraising coordinator, a birdbox

assistant, and more work party volunteers and coordinators. We know

how much the community values Raleigh Park as a local resource, and

how much the City Council and our stakeholders value the input of an

active Friends group. All we need are more active Friends!

It was in 1926 that Raleigh Park was gifted to the people of Oxford by

Raymond ffennell, whose other environmental benefactions include Hill

End and Wytham Woods. We need new members now to help prepare a

suitable celebration. Please talk to any member of the Committee about

future participation, or join us in the park in December to plant out

seedlings of wetland plants raised by the GroWet project, on Boxing Day

for mulled wine and a walk, or in January for our annual search for the

eggs of the elusive Brown Hairstreak butterfly. Notices of work parties

and other events will be found on our website. You can email us on

raleighpark@btinternet.com and raleighpark@raleighpark.org.uk

Stephen Parkinson, David Brown, Adam Bows

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Oxford Christmas Lunch

is happening again in 2023! It'll be at The King's Centre, Oxford on

Christmas Day 12.30-4pm. To book a place and transport, or to volunteer,

contact Sara on sara@oxfordchristmaslunch.org or call her on 07535

314716.

Entertainers also needed! If you can balloon twist, juggle, costume

dance, stilt-walk, clown or do magic, etc, and would like to volunteer at

this lovely event, please contact them on the same email!!!

December’s Monthly News Blog

Christmas is coming! I don’t know about the geese getting fat, but

thoughts have begun to turn to plans for festive occasions and get-

togethers, present buying, card writing, carol singing, cake baking, and

when to put up the Christmas tree. For some of those with dementia,

memories of Christmases past about the family traditions that have grown

up over the years may be very hazy, but the one aspect of the season

which is often still remembered and enjoyed is the

singing of Christmas carols. Why do our brains have

such a good capacity to retain the tunes and words

of familiar songs and carols when other memories

have taken flight? We don’t know, but we do realise

that this is the case, and singing is so appreciated by

most of us, including those with dementia. There will

be plenty of carols sung at Kennington Memory Club in the run up to

Christmas, to get our members into the mood and help them to enjoy the

season as fully as possible. To find out about applying for a place with

us for someone with dementia, contact the Club Organiser, Helen, on

07852 883496 or email

memoryclub1@outlook.com. Alternatively, you

can visit the Club website by scanning the QR code above or by going to

kenningtonmemoryclub.org.uk .

Isobel Birse

Brownies Learn a Lot

Our new autumn term was full of action, as we got on with a lot of the

official Girlguiding programme.

One of the Unit Meeting Activities (UMA) was to learn some facts about

the planets. Working in our Sixes, each group had to put the planets from

our solar system into the correct order from the Sun. Some of the girls

knew nothing about the solar system but some of the Brownies knew

quite a bit and, surprisingly, the two newest girls who had only joined us

the week before knew lots of answers and had great fun joining in. Well

done, Alice & Mabel. Tawny Owl’s daughter’s mnemonic to remember

the correct order of planets had to be amended when it was pointed out

by one of the older Brownies that Pluto’s status had been downgraded to

that of a dwarf planet, and so could no longer be included. In case you

are wondering the correct order is: My (Mercury) Very (Venus) Exciting

(Earth) Mother (Mars) Jumped (Jupiter) Suddenly (Saturn) Using

(Uranus) No (Neptune) Pogostick (Pluto) - but with Pluto now removed it

ended with Nothing (Neptune).

The following week we started work on an Interest

Badge (IB) called Jobs (jobs badge on right). This

required the Brownies to find out about different

jobs by interviewing some adults. They were started

off in the weekly meeting by being given a talk by

Bumblebee, one of our Adult Leaders, and her

friend Kate.

Bumblebee is a

Veterinary Surgeon

and so the Brownies

learnt the difference

between working with

small domestic pets,

larger working animals

and exotic animals.

They learnt that an

average day for a vet

could include anything

from consultation to

performing surgery. An

array of very good

questions was asked and informative answers were given. The Brownies

then got to try on some

scrubs and were shown

how to use a stethoscope

correctly.

Kate is an Optical Engineer,

specialising in working with

lasers. The Brownies learnt

about the experiments

performed in laboratories

with very expensive lasers –

both small ones and also

very powerful ones. They

learnt about streamlining a

process to make it more efficient and the process of determining the

correct answer to questions by experimenting and through rigorous

analysis of results and their associated errors. Then, as a simple

experiment, they managed to establish the contents of sealed containers

without opening them, using a cat laser toy

The Owls, 2nd Botley Brownies

Randoms

All in One Room – Celebrating Volunteers

Botley & North Hinksey Parish Council is inviting all volunteers in the local

community to the WI Hall at 4:30pm on Sunday 10th December for mince

pies and mulled wine or soft drinks, as a thank you for all your community

work this year. We ran this event for the first time in December 2022 with

around 100 volunteers attending, from baby and youth groups to

pensioners’ lunch clubs, from sports groups to food banks, and groups

supporting our local natural habitat. As well as a recognition of all their

various contributions to the community, the event was also a time to

pause, connect, meet and to share and discuss common issues and

ideas. We look forward to welcoming even more volunteers to this event

this year. Please do come along to the WI Hall, North Hinksey Lane at

4:30pm on Sunday 10th December.

RSVP:

chair@botleynorthhinksey-pc.gov.uk

Anyone for Badminton

It has been some years since Badminton at Matthew Arnold School

closed its doors, and, as they have no plans to hire the sports hall out in

the foreseeable future, I thought North Hinksey residents old and new

might be interested in joining the badminton club at John Mason School

Abingdon. We are a non-league club and open to players of all ages from

18 to 80 – a varied group of excellent, not so good and plain old rusty. If

you want to run off those extra calories put on over Christmas and would

like to join us on Wednesday evenings, please visit our website for more

information and contact details. We are, Mike’s Badminton Group

https://badminton.abingdon.onl/

Alison Hall

Acorns and Oaks

Come along and see us this week at our fortnightly Intergenerational

Group held at Chawley Grove. This is a lovely session where older and

younger generations come together to play, chat and sing. No need to

book, just turn up. Babies are especially welcome and we have activities

available for toddlers and pre-schoolers. Next two sessions (2-3pm) are

6th and 20th December. Hayley Hayle

Age UK

As we move into the colder and darker months, we become more aware

of the need to look out for vulnerable older people in our communities.

We have brought together some useful information and resources and

you can find them online at

https://www.ageuk.org.uk/oxfordshire/about-us/winter-hub/ Of

course, not everyone has or wants access to the internet, so we have

created physical Winter Wellbeing packs which we can post out to anyone

who asks for one. These include: Our ‘Little Handbook of our Services’; A

‘Live Well’ Oxfordshire bookmark; AgeUK “Winter Wrapped-Up Guide’; an

Oxfordshire Talking Therapies leaflet; Our Cost-of-Living Payment Grid.

Please get in touch via contactus@ageukoxfordshire.org.uk or 0345 450

1276 if you would like one or more of these.

Joyriders need leaders

JoyRiders Oxford warmly invites female cyclists to join their friendly team

of Ride Leaders, mostly aimed at the Beginner+ (up to 10 miles) and

Intermediate (up to 15 miles) level, and we also run cycle training projects

for absolute beginners. JoyRiders Ride Leaders are confident cyclists

who ride assertively to look after the inexperienced riders on our rides,

but we didn't all start like that! Our Ride Leader training will boost your

cycle skills and confidence: the main qualities we'd like you to bring to our

team are calmness, patience, understanding and kindness. If that's you,

please drop us a line at oxford@joyriders.org.uk.

Cumnor Pre-School

Cumnor Pre-school is looking for a part-time assistant to work with 2–4-

year-old children in a supportive and friendly environment. Monday–

Wednesday 8.45–15.30, £10.42–£11.67 per hour, depending on

experience and qualifications. More information and application form at

www.cumnor-preschool.co.uk or email cumnorpreschool@gmail.com

with any questions.

Looking for friends

To form a gardening group for North Hinksey Nature Reserve. Hands-

on help or plant donations equally welcome, and it would be nice to get

planting over the winter. Call the Parish Clerk on 07494 054581 if this is

something you’d like to do.

Organizations: If your organization is not listed here, please send details

to editor@thesprout.org.uk or telephone 724452 for inclusion.

1st Botley Brownies

Girls aged 7–10

Dean Court Community Centre Thur 6–7.30 Jean

Metson, firstbotleybrownies@gmail.com

2nd Botley Brownies

Girls aged 7–10

Rosary Room, Yarnells Hill. Tues 6:15-7:45 Alison

Griffin 2ndbotleybrownies@outlook.com

4th Oxford Scout Group Cubs

Beavers, Scouts, Explorers

mail@thefourth.org.uk Meets every weekday

evening. Website: http://www.thefourth.org.uk/

15th Oxford Scout Group

Boys and girls welcome

Fridays, Cubs 6.30-8, Scouts 8-9.30, Pavilion, Fogwell Rd.

Amy Cusden (Cubs) 07887 654386, Tom Freeman (Scouts)

07837 623768 xvoxfordscouts@yahoo.co.uk

Baby & Toddler Group

Tues/Thurs 9.15–11, SS Peter & Paul Church Hall

BikeSafe. B4044 community

path campaign

Wants to connect Botley to Eynsham. Meets every 6-8

weeks. Contact via website B4044path.org

Books on Wheels R.V.S.

Free Library Service for housebound Ox. 810159

Botley Boys & Girls F.C.

Football teams from ages 8-16

Terri Matthews: clubsecretarybbgfc@gmail.com

Botley Bridges (for under 5s)

Mondays, 9-11, Stay & Play Botley School, and Fridays

10-12,Baby Group at Seacourt Hall botleybridges.org

Botley Community Larder

Thursdays, 3.30 to 5.30 at St P&P Church Hall, West

Way, Facebook or email botleylarder@gmail.com

Botley and Kennington

Patients Participation Group

Second Tuesday in the month, early evening.

Contact csugden@ocrpl.org

Botley Health Walks

2nd & 4th Sats 9.50 Louie Memorial Field car park, or

Tues 11 am Library botleyhealthroutes@gmail.com

Botley Library

07922 849680. Open till 7 on Friday and 1pm on Sat,

otherwise 9.30 to 5.30 (closed Wednesdays).

Botley Memory Lane Café

Thursdays 10-12 Seacourt Hall Lounge, Diccon James

07740 611971

Botley Seniors Lunch Club

Alternate Thursdays. Seacourt Hall. Jackie Warner

Ox.721386

Botley Youth Club

Weds 7pm-9pm in term time. Louie Memorial Pavilion.

botleyyouthclub@gmail.com

Cumnor Choral Society

Thursdays, 19.30-21.30 St Andrew’s Ch. Steve Morris,

chair. www.cumnorchoralsociety.wordpress.com

Cumnor Chess Club

Thurs 7–9pm Cumnor Old School. Steven Bennett

01993 684494 www.cumnorchessclub.co.uk

Cumnor & District

Historical Society

Last Monday of the month 7.30-9.00 Cumnor Old

School. 01865 724808

Cumnor Gardening Club

http://cumnorgardens.org.uk/ tel 01865 721026

Harmony InSpires, Ladies'

Acappella Singing Group

Wed 7.30 at Appleton Village Hall. C. Casson 01235

831352 or harmonyinspires@hotmail.co.uk

Hill End Volunteer Team

Contact: David Millin on david.millin@hill-end.org,

call 863510 or visit www.hillend-oec.co.uk

Lawn Tennis Club

Family club Email: Tennis@OxfordSportsLTC.org

07824 881680 www.oxfordsportsltc.org

Morris Dancing – Cry Havoc

Barbara Brett 249599 or bag@cryhavoc.org.uk

North Hinksey Preschool

and Childcare clubs

Mon–Fri 7.45am–6.00 pm. Tel 794287 or email

nhps.manager1@gmail.com

N Hinksey Art Group

Weds 10–12.00 W.I. Hall Christina 07931 707997

N Hinksey Bellringers

Contact: Ray Rook 01865 241451

N Hinksey Conservation

Volunteers

Meets at weekends Contact Voirrey Carr 07798

743121 voirreyc@aol.com

N Hinksey, Friends of

Annual Cricket Match/ Walk. Douglas Bond 791213.

N Hinksey Parish Council

clerk@northhinksey-pc.gov.uk

Oxford Flower Arranging

4th Thursday Cumnor. Dympna Walker: Ox 865259

Oxford Harmony

Wednesdays 7.30 – 9.30 pm at Seacourt Hall

Contact pro@oxfordharmony.co.uk

Oxford Otters

Swimming for people with disabilities. Sundays,

twice monthly. Contact: Alan Cusden 723420

Oxford Rugby Club

Boys and girls from 5, kevin.honner@ntlworld.com

Seniors, training etc jbrodley@chandlings.org.uk.

Raleigh Park, Friends of

Email: raleighpark@raleighpark.org.uk

Seacourt Hall Management

Committee

Contact Lottie White, 07452 960100, or see

https://www.seacourthall.org.uk

Shotokan Karate Club

6+ WOCC twice weekly Martyn King 07836 646450

Stagecoach Botley

Botley School, Saturdays 9:00am–3pm Performing

Arts for 4-16 yr-olds 01865 590510 or 01235 390810

West Oxford Bowls Club

Dave Ellerker 07931 603801

wobc.membership@gmail.com

West Oxford Taekwon Do

Club

Mon, Thurs 6.30-8pm, MA gym, contact Chris Hall

01865 570291 www.wotkd.co.uk

West Oxford U3A

(Uni of the 3rd Age)

http://westoxfordu3a.org.uk/

Women’s Institute (Botley)

Alison Jenner 07598 251161

alisonjenner@yahoo.com

Weight Watchers

Thursdays 6pm at SS Peter & Paul Church Hall

Banso tel: 07779 253899 bansob@aol.com

Botley Baptist Church,

I Church Way

Contact: Building Manager 07742

662668 botleybaptist@gmail.com

The Rosary Room

Ya rn ell s Hill, Elms Rise

Contact: Maria Brown,

Tel : 018 6 5 24 7 98 6.

SS Peter & Paul Church

Ha l l , We st Wa y, Bo tle y

Contact: 01865 242057 or

osneybenefice@outlook.com.

Wo m e n' s I nst i tu te H a ll,

North Hinksey Lane

Contact: Val Warner

Tel . 018 6 5 24 5 27 3

Seacourt Hall,

3 Church Way

Contact: Lottie White on 07452 960100,

or email admin@seacourthall.org.uk

Pavilion, Arnold’s Way,

Elms Rise, Botley

Contact: Darren Blase 241254

louiememorialpavilion@gmail.com

Ox f o rd R ug by C lu b,

North Hinksey Village

Contact: Mary Bagnall

mary.bagnall1@btinternet.com.

North Hinksey & Botley Churches

Times of Ser vices (once r esumed) and C ontacts

St . Law rence , C h u rch of Eng l and, Nort h Hin k sey Lane

1st, 2nd, 4

, 5

Sunday 11. 30 am Holy Communion

3r d Sund a y 11 .30 am Mat in s

St. Peter and St. Paul, Church of England, Wes t Wa y

Sundays 9.30am Holy Communion

Wednesdays 10.30am Holy Communion at Field House, West Way

Rev Clare Sykes, Tel. 01865 242345 or r evc la r e@ b t i nt er net . c o m

See table above for Church Hall enquiries.

Ou r La d y of t he Rosar y, Rom a n Ca thol ic , Ya rne l l s H i ll

Sa tur da y 6. 3 0p m Ma s s

Su nd ay 9. 1 5a m Mas s

Fr Da nie l Lloy d 075 8 4 32391 5 dlloyd@portsmouthdiocese.org.uk.

Bo t l e y Ba pt is t Chu r ch, 1 Church Way

Su nd ay Ser vi c e 11 am

Wed n es da y Zoo m B ib le St udy 7. 3 0pm

Ch oir pr act ic e Thur sd ay 2pm

Dia n e Me l c he rt 0 77 42 6626 6 8 ww w.bot leyb a pt ist chur c h. org

Ca lvar y Chapel

Su nd ay se r vices on 1s t Flo o r, 1 Chur ch Way at 9.3 0 am wit h

cr è ch e, c hild r en’s Su n da y sch o ol and yout h gr ou p

Pa st or St eve Vicke r y 0 1 86 5 586332

contact@ccox.church website: www. c cox f or d.c h u rch

What’s On

December

Sat 2nd 10–12, Botley Baptist Church, Christmas Fair

2/3rd Dec More Green Open Homes

Wed 6th 2-3pm, Chawley Grove Care Home, social group for

the very old and the very young, and on 20th

Sun 10th 4.30-6-30, Botley WI Hall, ‘All in One Room’ party to

celebrate Botley’s many volunteers

Thur 14th 7.30pm, Seacourt Hall, Parish Council Meeting

Tues 19th 1-8pm, St Peter and St Paul’s Church Hall, drop off

your donations to Christmas Hampers

Wed 20th 8-11am , St Peter and St Paul’s Church Hall, drop off

Christmas Hamper donations

Mon 25th CHRISTMAS DAY Christmas Lunch, 12-4, Free to all

at the King’s Centre, Osney Mead

January

Mon 9th 2.30pm, Dean Court Community Centre, U3A talk:

Carole Page: My Career with Thames Valley Police

Sun 14th Copy deadline for your Sprout articles.

Mon 22nd 2.30pm, Dean Court Community Centre, U3A talk:

Christina Hardyment: The Serpent of Division

[More details of many events can be found on Randoms page]